Embracing the Mundane

Sometimes, in our quest to fill our lives with meaningful experiences and adventures, we forget to give ourselves rest, balance, opportunity to recharge. For us, this is the first weekend in just about a month that we have not or will not go out of town.  The fatigue, for lack of a better word, of that "go go go" feeling of traveling kind of sneaks up on you.  You don't realize it affecting you until you come back from a weekend away, and the week ahead feels like a chasm between the weekend you just finished and next, and you feel disconnected from your physical home.  This is how coming back last Sunday after a packed few days in Fort Wayne felt. The idea of slogging through a week before catching a breather seemed particularly unappealing, and the trappings of a house that we haven't spent a great deal of time in during the past month due to work and weekend travels, seemed distant, cold.

As such, I had been looking forward to today and this weekend for awhile, just for a chance to finally get some things done around the house, and enjoy time with just our little family.  As great as traveling to friends and family can be (and it is, truly, awesome), the balance of having quiet, "mundane" times seems equally important (if not awesome).  Today very much did not disappoint, and as I sit tonight, this single day feels refreshing, rejuvenating for my spirit.

We followed a typical Saturday morning routine, where Maia and I go grocery shopping while Jackie cleans my firm's office.  When we came back, I decided that I would procrastinate some work until likely Monday night to tackle my closet and dresser, which I probably hadn't really organized and sorted since Maia had been born.  After Maia eventually went to sleep for a good nap, I worked on "tackling the project."  It's obviously not an exciting thing to do, but I felt much better when I finished, much more than I expected.  Having that physical space organized, decluttered, and cleaned just seemed to remove a nagging annoyance from my mind.

Following that, we spent the afternoon in our living room, all reading. I would read (The Bone Clocks) while Jackie read to Maia.  Then I would read to Maia while Jackie perused some magazines.  It was a quiet, relaxing, peaceful family afternoon.  Good for the soul, as they say.  We then decided that we would head down to Syracuse (a easy 25 minute drive south) for some pizza, at their Pizza King that is quickly becoming a favorite for us.  The drive down is easy, and with a clear Fall sky allowing for a bright sun, the beauty of Indiana farmland can be seen.  On our way back into town, we decided to stop at a local place for ice cream, to top off a great day.  Maia was particularly excited about the ice cream.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="215"] "I. Like. Chocolate. Ice. Cream!"[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="216"] All smiles![/caption]

As I said before, the day felt refreshing. A day that reminds how important just being home can be, and how its good to remember so as not to take it for granted.  Adventures and experiences with extended families and friends are worthwhile experiences, and should be cherished and sought. But so too are the little mundane moments that make up the rest of life.  They are worthy in their own right, and can provide a restorative balance.  Sometimes, it makes sense to embrace the mundane.

"I have always been caught by the pull of the unremarkable, by the easily missed, infinitely nourishing beauty of the mundane." - Tana French, Broken Harbour